Conor Kelly of Bangkok, Thailand, pulled off what seems like an impossible task. In the third round of the Junior Golf Hub Championship presented by John D. Mineck Foundation, Kelly aced the par-3 No. 8, marking his first hole-in-one. But that’s not what is most impressive. On the very next hole, which happens to be a par-5, Kelly holed his second shot to earn an albatross. Accomplishing this back-to-back phenomenon puts Kelly in one of the rarest categories in golf history. Kelly added to the feat with a birdie on the par-4 No. 10 to go 5-under-par in three holes and to make the turn with scores of 1-2-3. He finished 17th at the tournament.
Yealimi Noh of Concord, California, earned a victory at the 70th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. Facing Alexa Pano of Lake Worth, Florida, in the finals, Noh carded 10 birdies to gain a 6-up lead heading into the 30th hole. Pano tried to fight back, but Noh held her off and walked away with the victory. This was her second victory in a week after winning the Girls Junior PGA Championship. Noh is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and a three-time AJGA champion. The rising senior is currently No. 2 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Michael Thorbjornsen of Wellesley, Massachusetts, captured a victory at the 71st U.S. Junior Amateur Championship after pulling off a 1-up victory. Making it to the finals, Thorbjornsen carded a crucial birdie on No. 32 to gain a lead against Akshay Bhatia of Wake Forest, North Carolina. Finishing the next four holes at par, Thorbjornsen sealed the victory and earned a spot in the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and next month’s U.S. Amateur, also at Pebble Beach. Thorbjornsen is currently No. 24 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and has four top-10 finishes.
Anina Ku of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, ran away from the competition at the Junior Golf Hub Championship presented by John D. Mineck Foundation. Shooting a 5-under-par 211, Ku won by six strokes. In the three-round tournament, Ku carded 13 birdies to capture her third AJGA victory. In 2017, Ku was named to the Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team. Currently No. 59 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, Ku is a Harvard University commit.